Gun barrel for firing spin-stabilized projectiles

ABSTRACT

A gun barrel for locking spin-stabilized projectiles using a driving band and a sealing ring disposed behind the driving band, the gun barrel comprising a breach area, a rifled barrel part, and a transitional cone disposed between the breach area and the rifled barrel part. In order to achieve a reliable initial seal between the projectile and the profile of the rifled barrel part against hot propulsion charge gases, a smooth barrel section is disposed between the transitional cone connected to the breach area and the rifled barrel part, wherein the interior diameter of the smooth barrel section is greater than or equal to the exterior diameter of the driving band, but is approximately equal to the exterior diameter of the sealing ring, wherein the length of the smooth barrel section corresponds to at least the lengths of the driving band and the sealing ring of the projectile.

This is a National Phase Application in the United States of International Patent Application No. PCT/EP2008/007179 filed Sep. 3, 2008, which claims priority on German Patent Application No. DE 10 2007 045 721.0, filed Sep. 24, 2007. The entire disclosures of the above patent applications are hereby incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a gun barrel for firing spin-stabilized projectiles having a drive band and having a sealing ring that is arranged at the rear end behind the drive band.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Gun barrels, such as have been known for a long time and normally have a breach area, include a rifled barrel part and a transitional cone, which is arranged between the breach area and the rifled barrel part. In order to load a projectile, the projectile is pushed through the breach area and so far into the rear area of the rifled barrel part that the drive band of the projectile is located on the grooved rifled profile of the rifled barrel part. The sealing ring, which is arranged to the rear of the drive band and normally has a somewhat larger external diameter than the drive band, is, in this case, still located in the transitional cone of the gun barrel and, when the gas pressure starts to build up in the breach area during the firing process, is intended to prevent the hot propulsion charge gases from flowing out between the drive band and the grooved rifled profile of the rifled barrel part, which is immediately adjacent to the transitional cone.

However, in practice, it has been found that, depending on the insertion depth of the projectile, the sealing ring frequently does not rest exactly on the side walls of the transitional cone and complete initial sealing is not ensured by the sealing ring when a shot is fired. If initial sealing is not provided, then the hot propulsion charge gases flow at a high flow rate between the drive band and the grooved rifled profile in the area of transition between the breach area and the caliber part, and this causes severe erosion damage to the breach-area end of the rifled barrel part. This erosion damage then leads to scrapping of the weapon barrel.

The present invention is based on the object of specifying a gun barrel in which initial sealing between the projectile and the grooved rifled profile of the rifled barrel part against hot propulsion charge gases is ensured such that erosion damage to the breach-area end of the rifled barrel part is minimized.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the invention, this object is achieved by a gun barrel for firing spin-stabilized projectiles (2) having a drive band (7) and having a sealing ring (8), which is arranged at the rear end behind the drive band (7), wherein the gun barrel (1) has a breach area (3), a rifled barrel part (4) and a transitional cone (5,) which is arranged between the breach area (3) and the rifled barrel part (4), characterized in that a section (6), which is in the form of a smooth barrel, is arranged between the rifled barrel part (4) and the transitional cone (5), which is adjacent to the breach area (3), the internal diameter (D0) of which section (6) is greater than or equal to the external diameter (D1) of the drive band (7), but is approximately the same as the external diameter of the sealing ring (8) of the projectiles (2) to be fired from the gun barrel (1), and in that the length of the smooth barrel section (6) corresponds at least to the length (L0) of the drive band (7) and to the length (L1) of the sealing ring (8) of the projectiles (2) to be fired. The drive band (7) and the sealing ring (8) may be arranged directly one behind the other, and also integrally, or the sealing ring (8) may be located in a separate groove in the projectile (2), further behind the drive band (7).

The invention is essentially based on the idea of arranging a section, which is in the form of a smooth barrel between the rifled barrel part and the transitional cone, which is adjacent to the breach area, the internal diameter of which section is greater than or equal to the external diameter of the drive band, but is somewhat smaller than the external diameter of the sealing ring of the projectiles to be fired, with the length of the smooth barrel section corresponding at least to the length of the drive band and of the sealing ring (together) of the respective projectile. As firing trials have shown, the sealing ring, which is arranged behind the drive band, ensures excellent initial sealing in the smooth part of the barrel when a shot is fired, until the drive band has been pressed completely into the grooved rifled profile of the rifled barrel part. Furthermore, the introduction of the smooth barrel results in the start of the grooved rifled profile of the rifled barrel part being moved away from that area on the transitional cone where there is a severe risk of erosion in known gun barrels.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further details and advantages of the invention will become evident from the following exemplary embodiment, which will be explained with reference to figures, in which:

FIG. 1 shows the longitudinal section through a gun barrel according to the present invention in the area of the transition between the breach area and the rifled barrel part, without a projectile loaded therein.

FIG. 2 shows a longitudinal section, corresponding to FIG. 1, with a projectile loaded therein, and

FIG. 3 shows an enlarged detail of a portion shown in FIG. 2, and annotated III in FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In FIGS. 1 and 2, 1 denotes a gun barrel for firing a spin-stabilized projectile 2. The gun barrel 1 has a breach area 3, a rifled barrel part 4 with a grooved rifled profile that is known per se, and a transitional cone 5 that is arranged between the breach area 3 and the rifled barrel part 4.

In accordance with the invention a section 6 is provided and is in the form of a smooth barrel that is arranged between the rifled barrel part 4 and the transitional cone 5, which is directly adjacent to the breach area 3. In this case, the internal diameter, which is annotated D0 in FIG. 1, of this smooth barrel section 6 is chosen to be somewhat larger than the external diameter D1 of the drive band 7 of the respective projectile 2 to be fired, and to be approximately the same diameter as the external diameter of a sealing ring 8 that is arranged at the rear end on the drive band 7 of the projectile 2. Thus, the external diameter D1 of the drive band 7 is smaller than the external diameter of the sealing ring 8, and the external diameter D1 of the sealing ring 8 is approximately the same as the internal diameter D0 of the smooth barrel section 6.

In contrast, the length of the smooth barrel section 6 is chosen such that it corresponds at least to the length L0 of the drive band 7 and to the length L1 of the sealing ring 8 of the respective projectile 2. This ensures that, after the projectile 2 has been loaded, the sealing ring 8 is located within the smooth barrel section 6, and the area 9 of the transition, which is located in front of the drive band 7 of the projectile 2, between the smooth barrel section 6 and the rifled barrel part 4 is reliably sealed against propulsion charge gases produced in the breach area 3 when a shot is fired.

LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS

-   1 Gun barrel -   2 Projectile -   3 Breach area -   4 Rifled barrel part -   5 Transitional cone -   6 Section, Smooth barrel section -   7 Drive band -   8 Sealing ring -   9 Area -   D0 Internal diameter (of smooth barrel) -   D1 External diameter (of drive band) -   L0 Length (of drive band) -   L1 Length (of sealing ring) 

1. A gun barrel configured for firing a spin-stabilized projectile, wherein the projectile has a drive band and a sealing ring that is arranged at a rear end of the projectile behind the drive band, wherein the gun barrel comprises: (a) a breach area; (b) a rifled barrel part; (c) a transitional cone that is arranged between the breach area and the rifled barrel part, wherein the transitional cone is adjacent to the breach area; and (d) a smooth barrel section that is in the form of a smooth barrel, wherein the smooth barrel section is arranged between the rifled barrel part and the transitional cone, and the smooth barrel section has an internal diameter, wherein the internal diameter of the smooth barrel section is greater than or equal to an external diameter of the drive band of the projectile, but is approximately the same diameter as an external diameter of the sealing ring of the projectile to be fired from the gun barrel, and a length of the smooth barrel section corresponds at least to the combined length of the drive band and length of the sealing ring of the projectile.
 2. A gun barrel configured for firing a spin-stabilized projectile as recited in claim 1, wherein the drive band and the sealing ring of the projectile are arranged directly one behind the other.
 3. A gun barrel configured for firing a spin-stabilized projectile as recited in claim 1, wherein the drive band and the sealing ring of the projectile are arranged directly one behind the other, and are also integrally formed.
 4. A gun barrel configured for firing a spin-stabilized projectile as recited in claim 1, wherein the sealing ring is located in a separate groove in the projectile, and further behind the drive band.
 5. A gun barrel configured for firing a spin-stabilized projectile as recited in claim 1, wherein when the projectile is loaded in the gun barrel, the sealing ring of the projectile contacts the smooth barrel section of the gun barrel so that the smooth barrel section and the rifled barrel part of the gun barrel are reliably sealed against propulsion charge gases produced in the breach area of the gun barrel when a shot is fired.
 6. A gun barrel configured for firing a spin-stabilized projectile as recited in claim 1, wherein when the projectile is loaded in the gun barrel, the sealing ring of the projectile contacts the smooth barrel section of the gun barrel so as to provide a complete initial seal between the breach area and the rifled barrel part of the gun barrel so that the riffled barrel part is reliably and completely sealed against propulsion charge gases produced in the breach area of the gun barrel when a shot is initially fired. 